People Aren't Leaving Your Meeting Because They Just Got an Important Call

It's 3:30 on a Friday, and you're holding a late-day staff meeting. You hear a phone ring and then someone announces --really sorry, boss -- they have to go. Their dirty little secret: They faked the call just to get out of your boring meeting.

That sort of behavior isn't super common, though, is it? Maybe more so than you thought. It's surprisingly easy to fake a call on your cell phone. Here's some evidence:

Indeed, a simple Web search for "fake incoming call" can return instructions or apps for virtually any phone you're likely to find in your conference room.

Just because you can do it, that doesn't mean people are taking advantage, right? Well, according to the Telegraph, as many as 4 in 10 people have faked a phone call to "get out of a boring meeting at work."

So what does all this mean? For starters, perhaps you should ban phones in meeting rooms. What are your experiences with meeting avoidance via cell phone? Sound off in the comments.